The latest Rafael Palmeiro MLB and fantasy baseball news

Former 1B Rafael Palmeiro continues to deny that he ever took performance-enhancing drugs during his playing career, according to The Associated Press. Palmeiro tested positive for a steroid weeks after he reached 3,000 career hits. He claims he took a tainted vitamin injection in 2005.

The Dallas Morning News' Jean-Jacques Taylor reports former MLB 1B Rafael Palmeiro is still refusing to speak publicly after a steroids scandal ended his career three years ago. Palmeiro will be inducted into the Hall of Fame at Mississippi State University soon.

The New York Times' Duff Wilson reports investigators of steroid use in baseball are seeking medical records from at least two of the game's premier sluggers over the past dozen years, Texas Rangers OF Sammy Sosa and former Baltimore Orioles 1B/DH Rafael Palmeiro, along with records from dozens of other players suspected of using performance-enhancing drugs, a baseball official with direct knowledge of the request said.

CNNSI's Jon Heyman reports the rumor Jose Canseco started about baseball using 1B Rafael Palmeiro to go against him in the congressional hearing doesn't make sense. Palmeiro failed the test two months after the hearing, and Canseco failed to explain how using Palmeiro benefited baseball.

ESPNews reports Jose Canseco claimed Major League Baseball knew about 1B Rafael Palmeiro's positive drug test before the congressional hearing last March and used Palmeiro, a fellow Cuban, to go up against Canseco. "They're mafia, point blank, they're mafia," Canseco said. "I don't think Major League Baseball is enthused about finding out the truth. There needs to be a major cleanup in Major League Baseball. I think they are treading on very thin ice, and (commissioner) Bud Selig has to be very careful what he's doing because his job is on the line."

According to The Milwaukee Journal Sentinel's Tom Haudricourt, the Chicago Cubs fielded their youngest Opening Day roster since 1977, with the 25-man roster averaging 28.08 years in age. OF Matt Murton, 24, is the youngest Chicago leftfielder since Rafael Palmeiro in 1988, and SS Ronny Cedeno, 23, is the youngest shortstop since Shawon Dunston in 1986.

The Baltimore Sun reports free-agent 1B Rafael Palmeiro (Baltimore Orioles) continues to insist a B-12 shot administered by SS Miguel Tejada may have been the cause of his positive steroid test, but he admitted blame may lie with himself. Palmeiro also didn't address whether he would play next season. "I would think it was the B-12. I'm not certain of that; I can't prove it," Palmeiro said. "I'm going to take the responsibility, me being careless and taking something I wasn't knowing if it was clean. ... It was careless, stupid, naive of me to think it was safe."